Jolly Holiday
by gutsandglitter
Summary: Mary and Bert's second encounter. I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

There wasn't much money in screeving, but Bert loved it anyway. Every Sunday while the other sweeps took to the pubs to waste away their earnings for the week, Bert took to the sidewalks to create masterpieces from chalk dust.

He was just finishing a lovely seascape when a pair of woman's boots ran straight through the drawing, completely ruining a good two hour's work. He stood up to protest, but stopped dead when he saw what was attached to the boots. Or who, more specifically. Mary Poppins stood before him with flushed cheeks and an oversized butterfly net in one hand.

"You!" they both cried, grinning like the idiots they were. There was an awkward pause.

"So, uh," Bert said, running a hand through his hair. "What's the net for?"

"Giant butterflies!" Mary replied gleefully.

"Of course."

Two small boys ran up to the pair,, each armed with their own butterfly net. "Mary Poppins, they got away from us!" one of the boys exclaimed.

She put her hands on her hips. "Well they couldn't have gotten far now could they?"

The boys looked unsure of the correct answer.

"Of course not," she answered for them. "Now run along and see if you can find them. Oh, and this is Bert. He's going to be helping us."

This was news to Bert, but he wasn't about to protest. "Nice to meet'cher!" he chirped, extending a chalky hand.

"Jack," the taller one said, shaking his hand firmly.

"Harry," the smaller boy said, too shy to shake Bert's hand.

The boys ran off in search of the winged creatures.

"Now Mary Poppins, will I be getting me own net or shall I have to catch 'em with me bare hands?" Bert asked, as if this was the most normal question in the world.

"Oh, how silly of me!" she cried. She reached into a carpet bag that Bert could have sworn had not been there moments ago, and pulled out another net. Bert honestly wasn't surprised at this point, she could have pulled a full-size fire-breathing dragon out of her bag and it would not have fazed him. She handed him the net.

"Let the hunt begin," she said with a smile. She darted off into the park and Bert was quick to follow.

For hours, the foursome ran around the park laughing and lunging at the oversized insects. Finally the children plopped down on the grass out of sheer exhaustion, although their spirits were still as high as ever. Mary flopped as gracefully as one possibly could onto the grass beside them, and Bert followed suit (not quite as gracefully). They lay on the grass panting for a few minutes.

A few fluffy clouds rolled by, and Bert thought one looked exactly like a little terrier on a leash.

Bert turned his head to remark about the transformation to Mary. To his surprise, she was watching him keenly. She quickly blushed and looked away, picking at the hem of her skirt. He smiled to himself and rested his head back on the grass.

They stayed this way for several minutes, enjoying the quiet beauty of the park. After a while, Mary nudged Bert gently. "Look," she said, pointing to the boys. They were sound asleep on the grass.

She chuckled. "I suppose I should be getting them home, it's nearly dark," she said eyeing the skyline.

"No good in waking 'em up though," Bert replied. "I could carry 'em back home for you," he suggested.

She looked a bit startled. "Really? That would be lovely." She smiled.

Bert gently hoisted the two boys into his arms while Mary began putting the nets back into her carpet bag, which had appeared out of nowhere again.

Silently she led the way back to the boys home. They entered the house without a sound, and were able to put the boys to bed without waking either of them up. Only after creeping out of the room and shutting the door behind them did either of them dare to speak.

"Thank you so much for all your help today," Mary said shyly.

"Not a problem Mary Poppins," Bert said, tipping his hat. He paused. "Will I be seeing you around?" he asked quietly.

She bit her lip. "I'm afraid not. The wind's changing soon, and I'll have to leave for a while."

His face fell.

"Probably just a short while though," she added shyly.

He smiled. "Well alright then. Until we meet again, Mary Poppins," he said with a bow.

He left the house in good spirits, and skipped the entire way home.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time Bert saw Mary, she was crying.

He was performing in the park, his one-man-band shtick, and having a lousy time attracting an audience. He had just taken his instruments off for a quick stretch when he heard a small noise. Confused, he did a quick scan of the area for the possible source. The park was deserted as far as he could tell. He heard the noise again, this time it seemed closer. He turned and caught a glimpse of a bit of blue sticking out from behind a tree. He circled around the tree to investigate, and was amazed to see Mary on the ground hugging her knees and quietly sobbing.

"Mary Poppins?" he asked in disbelief.

She lifted up her head and searched his face for a moment.

"Oh Bert!" she cried, jumping up and throwing her arms around his neck. For some reason his presence made her cry harder. He held her for a few minutes as she sobbed into his chest, acutely aware of how perfectly she fit there. Gradually, the sobs wracking her body slowed to soft sniffles. Finally she took a deep breath and stepped away from him, and he was very sorry to let her go.

"I'm so sorry," she said, blushing. "I'm just so upset with myself."

"Why?" Bert inquired.

"We were playing a game, and I-I lost her. Juliet," she whimpered. "I can't believe this happened. This will cost me my job for sure," she said, beginning to sniffle again. There was a pause. "Oh, and Juliet will be so frightened," she added somewhat lamely.

"Don't worry Mary Poppins. You've got your best man on the job now," Bert said warmly, flashing a playful grin at her. He saw his opportunity to be her knight in shining armor, and he was going to take it.

He grabbed her hand and dragged her to a nearby house. He knocked on the door, and a matronly woman answered.

"Good evening ma'm!" he chirped. "Chimney sweeps!" he said as he pushed past her to the living room. She stood in the doorframe perplexed as he led Mary into the living room and gently pushed her towards the chimney.

"It's okay," he coaxed. "Old sweep trick. Just duck your head in and pop out on the other side."

Hesitantly she stepped up to the chimney and was immediately sucked upwards. Bert followed suit.

"Oi! Bert, wotchyer doin' up 'ere today?" a voice greeted him.

Bert wiped the soot from his eyes. "Charlie, how're you mate?" he asked cheerily.

"Cain't complain," Charlie replied. "But who's yer friend?" he asked, gesturing to Mary.

Mary stood off to the side, and Bert couldn't help but notice how lovely she looked, even with puffy red eyes and soot-streaked cheeks.

"This 'ere is Mary Poppins," Bert said with pride. "an' she needs a favor."

"Does she now?" Charlie chuckled.

Bert explained her situation and Charlie nodded solemnly.

"I'll see what we can do m'am," Charlie said, tipping his hat towards her before he left, nimbly leaping to the next roof, and the next.

"Now all we have to do is wait," Bert said, smiling and putting his hands in his pockets.

Mary looked as confused as ever. "What on earth do you mean?"

Bert laughed. "The sweep's are the most connected people in the city. Trust me, one of 'em knows where your girl is."

She stared at him for a few moments. "I trust you," she whispered, almost inaudibly.

He offered her is arm and she gladly took it. They began to stroll from rooftop to rooftop, admiring the city from the sweep's point of view. They strolled for several hours, until long after the sun had set. Suddenly, a voice broke the comfortable silence.

"Ah-hem!"

Startled, they broke apart, and turned around.

"Charlie said you might be missing this?" a thin soot-covered man said. Beside him was a small girl, maybe seven years old, clutching a soot-covered teddy bear.

"Juliet!" Mary cried, leaping up and pulling the girl towards her.

"Oh Mary Poppins!" the girl cried out. "I told you I was such a good hider. Does this mean I won?"

Mary was unable to speak, for fear of breaking down for the second time that day. She nodded.

"That means I get a candy!" the girl stated proudly to the chimney sweep.

Mary graciously thanked the sweep, who's name was Benjamin. She, Bert, and Juliet walked back to the girl's house, hand in hand in hand.

"Go along inside dear. And not a word of this to your mother," she said with a wink.

Mary turned to Bert. "I don't know how to thank you," she said bashfully.

"Mary Poppins, that smile of yours is all the thanks I need."

This made her grin broadly as her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. They looked at each other for several moments before she remembered her manners. She dropped the grin from her face and coughed lightly.

"Ah, well," she said, having a difficult time regaining her usual elegant composure. She extended her hand in a business-like manner. "Until we meet again, Mr. Alfred."

He smirked. "Yes, until we meet again, Miss Poppins," he said, taking her hand and planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles.


End file.
